Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
A special two-day European summit will begin today in Brussels and will discuss many political, security and economic issues. European Union Council President Charles Michel said in his invitation letter to the leaders to attend the summit, “Foreign policy issues will occupy a high place on our agenda. With regard to Ukraine, after... Our comprehensive conclusions in March will address continued Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure, including the energy sector. This underscores the urgent need to step up the provision of military assistance, particularly air defense capabilities.
Our commitment to working with partners to end the tragic crisis in Gaza through an immediate ceasefire and hostage release, as well as an urgent and unimpeded increase in widespread humanitarian aid in Gaza, remains critical. Developments over the weekend have exacerbated an already very volatile situation in the region. We must condemn Iran's recent attack against the people of Israel and unite in urging all parties to exercise maximum restraint, respect international law, and avoid actions that may increase tensions. We must also address the situation in Lebanon, recognizing the difficult circumstances it faces, and affirming our strong support at this critical time.
Our strategic discussion on Türkiye will be within the framework of our strategic interest in developing a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship. Strengthening this relationship should also contribute to promoting a stable and secure environment in the Eastern Mediterranean. In keeping with our approach, our work in this regard should proceed in a gradual, proportionate and reversible manner.
This comes after European Union foreign ministers held an informal meeting via video to discuss the latest developments in the Middle East in light of the recent drone and missile attack against Israel from Iran.
According to a statement issued at the conclusion of the meeting late on Tuesday evening, Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said, “I want to use the same words that the Secretary-General of the United Nations used: ‘The region is on the brink of the abyss, and we must move away from it.’”
The ministers took a strong stance, calling on all actors in the region to stay away from the abyss, so as not to fall into it.
Borrell stressed that the informal ministerial discussion demonstrated the unity of the European Union in its strong condemnation of the Iranian attack, its commitment to Israel’s security, and its willingness to avoid further escalation, and we call on all parties to exercise restraint.
The High Representative stressed that work in the coming weeks will focus on increasing the European Union’s outreach with all key partners in the region and beyond, and on restrictive measures. This may entail expanding the scope of the current regime targeting Iranian military support for Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine through drones, to include the possibility of imposing sanctions on Iranian missiles as well as the delivery of drones to Iranian proxies in the Middle East.
The High Representative strongly stressed the need not to forget Gaza and noted that there was no possibility of building lasting peace in the region if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was not resolved. For this reason, the European Union must continue to work towards an immediate and sustainable ceasefire, the release of Hamas hostages, and to address the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.